Saturday, April 23, 2011

Today Gizatu experienced a first. Easter Egg hunt. He decided he wanted to wear his hat and didn't take it off for most of the morning. Thus most of the pictures I got of him today you can't see his face. His hat is way too big for him, because it was my sisters.

I wanted to try and get some pictures of the two of us together, but he was way too interested in finding more eggs, so here was the attempt. I still think he's cute though.

A final run down the side of the hill, minus the hat. He was dirty and sandy and all around happy. It was a great day!

Monday, April 18, 2011

So I just watched the Blind Sid@ for the millionth time and always it makes me cry. It touches me in so many ways. For those of you who don't know, I'm a social worker. I work with foster families and also adoptions. This movie hit me the first time I saw it because of the way the system can fail its children. The ones that they are supposed to protect and how sometimes it doesn't work that way. But it also hits me with my son. While I realize that Gizatu's story is so different than Michael's, there is that part of me that relates. Will I be ready to take someone down in the middle of a football game for any disparaging remarks made about my son? When he's in his first car accident and I race to him, will they question the fact that he is my son? As I watch his momma leave him for college, I'm gonna be a basket case. I know I'm getting way ahead of myself, he's not even close to beginning kindergarten, but these are all thoughts that run through my head.

Everytime I see a young black man, I wonder who he's going to grow up to be. Will he be tall, or average? Will he want dread locks or braids? When is the time that he is going to wish I understood all that it means to be a black man in this world? Because as much as I wish to protect him from the prejudices and stereotypes that this world has, I won't be able to. So I will, instead, prepare him for them to the best of my ability. Make sure there are men and women in his life who do fully understand it and get it, because they live it everyday.

Okay so that was a much deeper post than originally planned. To end on a happier note here are some pictures from our first Thom@s the Train event with our Ethiopian buddy.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

One year ago today was the first time I saw his face. This boy who has so changed my life. Its amazing to think about how it all came about. This is the first picture I saw of him. It was so small and hard to see. Of course the tears in my eyes didn't help any either. You can read all about that day here.

I then received this picture about 3 weeks later...

(I can't figure out how to get the picture to flip on blogger.)

I was so excited to get this picture. I could actually make out his face and his features.

He's an amazing little boy. He's brought so much to my life. Its changed in ways I could never imagined. Love you little man.